Thirty-one leading authorities in the field of digital tech and development have contributed short vignettes to the book. Drafts of these are available (in .pdf format – click on “vignette” for each author) through the links below (in alphabetical order of author’s surnames), together with audiolinks (and some videos) in various languages through which you can listen to the voices of the authors reading their own contributions. These are also available as podcasts in our blog and on Apple Podcasts.
Shabnam Aggarwal – It’s About Who Built it – And Who Didn’t. Shabnam is CTO of Rising Academies, AI strategist, author of Freedom to Fail, has spent fifteen years building and breaking education technology across Asia and Africa. Her startups, failures and comebacks fuel her mission to design human-centred, low-cost tools that live for decades in classrooms. Believes failure is a feature, not a bug (South Africa and USA).
Audio
Ken Banks – kiwanja.net: memories of innovation for the most marginalised. Ken is a social innovator, author and technologist known for developing tools that empower grassroots change. He founded kiwanja.net and created FrontlineSMS, helping communities worldwide. His work bridges technology, development and impact, earning global recognition for supporting social entrepreneurs, local leaders and underrepresented voices through practical, human-centred solutions (UK).
Tendani Mulanga Chimboza – The exploitation of young women: digital tech at the heart of the immoral economy. Tendani is a passionate and driven professional committed to making a difference through inclusive leadership, academic excellence, and impactful research. She advocates for representation and social justice, using technology to empower communities. Her work bridges academia (UCT), corporate insight, and public engagement to drive ethical digital transformation across Africa (South Africa).
Marine Al Dahdah – The Digital Privatisation of India’s Administration. Marine is a sociologist and a CNRS Fellow at the Center for the Study of Social Movements (EHESS-Paris) and French Institute of Pondicherry in India. Her research focuses on digital policies in Asia and Africa and more particularly on digital health in India, Ghana and Kenya (France and India).
Pari Esfandiari – contribution to Nigel Hickson: a digital life well lived for others. Pari’s work sits at the intersection of technology, geopolitics, and governance. She is President and Co-Founder of the Global TechnoPolitics Forum, advises international bodies, serves on ICANN’s At-Large Advisory Committee, was a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, and helps leaders navigate digital transformation and global systems beyond borders (UK and USA).
Vignette: Tribute to Nigel Hickson
Domenico Fiormonte – The Geopolitics of Digital Knowledge. Domenico is Associate Professor at the University of Roma Tre and Research Associate at the University of Dar es Salaam, where he teaches courses on Sociology of Communication, Geopolitics of Knowledge, and Digital Humanities. His latest book is Para una crítica del texto digital. Filología, literatura y redes (A Coruña, 2023) (Italy and Tanzania).
Audio in Italian
Mei Lin Fung – Learning from Land Rights so Data Rights are Right from the Get Go. Mei Lin is co-founder of the People-Centered Internet with Vint Cerf, is a tech pioneer in CRM and the future of health. She leads global efforts in digital public infrastructure, focused on bridging the gap so global finance can reach MSMEs everywhere (Singapore).
Akber Gardezi – Why Persons with Disabilities will Keep on Experiencing Failure. Akber is an accomplished academic and entrepreneur. As founding head of Data and AI at Mobiz and a tenured Associate Professor at COMSATS University Islamabad, he champions inclusive technology across Islamic nations. His work, grounded in research and innovation, reflects scholarly rigour, entrepreneurial vision and community empowerment (Pakistan).
Audio
G. ‘Hari’ Harindranath – How May Academics Help to Empower Marginalised Communities Through Digital Tech? Hari is Professor of Information Systems at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK, exploring how digital tech shapes lives, work, and society. Hari is passionate about impact, collaborates with communities to address digital inequalities, and sometimes even gets policymakers to listen. He thinks research should do good, not just look good (UK).
Judith Hellerstein – contribution to Nigel Hickson: a digital life well lived for others. Judith is a globally recognized expert in ICT policy, digital transformation, cyber, and digital development. She has over 30 years of experience in crafting policies that enable digital economies, build digital infrastructure, e-commerce frameworks, and digital trade. Judith is a passionate advocate for helping to bring connectivity and empower communities (USA).
Vignette: Tribute to Nigel Hickson
Emily Hickson – contribution to Nigel Hickson: a digital life well lived for others. Emily is an international climate politics expert, having advised businesses and civil society on the UN Climate Negotiations (COPs) for the last decade. She is also a local government councillor in London (UK).
Vignette: Tribute to Nigel Hickson
David Hollow – Evidence-driven decision-making in the use of digital technologies in education. David is co-Founder of Jigsaw Education and Research Director of EdTech Hub. He enjoys building practical evidence to improve education outcomes. He provides strategic advice for governments and donors and serves on various boards. Many years ago, David was privileged to have Tim Unwin as a wonderful PhD supervisor! (UK).
Audio
Nick Hughes OBE – The Power of Micro-Transactions. Nick is an innovator and practitioner, passionate about building digital ventures that help solve real world problems. Prepared to challenge the status quo. At 4R Digital Ltd, he and his team are striving to use digital technology to bring radical transparency and more equitable flow of funds into the carbon markets (UK).
Poncelet Ileleji – A Gambian Perspective on Digital Tech and Equity. Poncelet is a computer scientist and ICT expert dedicated to leveraging technology for sustainable development, the Lead and CEO of Jokkolabs Banjul, a board member of www.apc.org, a former president of the Information Technology Association of The Gambia, and an active voice in Internet governance, digital learning, and innovation across Africa (The Gambia).
Audio
Lousewies van der Laan – contribution to Nigel Hickson: a digital life well lived for others. Lousewies is Director of Transparency International Netherlands and advises the Dutch Authority on Online Terrorist and CSAM. She is a former member of Parliament and served on the ICANN board. She is ambassador for the Netherlands Internet Governance Forum and recipient of the ISOC NL Lifetime Achievement Award (Netherlands).
Vignette: Tribute to Nigel Hickson
Audio
Emmanuel C. Lallana – Reinventing travail: ICT in Basic Education in the Philippines. Emmanuel (Boying) has 25 years’ experience in Digital Development across all sectors, conducting research, policy development, and training for government officials from developing Asian countries on digital policy issues such as ICT for Education, Digital Transformation and public interest AI. He served at the national Commission on Information and Communications Technology 2004-2007 (the Philippines).
Audio
Janet Longmore – The Youth-led Imperative. Janet is Founder and CEO, Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT), and is a lifelong social entrepreneur who champions the leadership of young women and men in global development. Recipient of many Canadian and international honours, she demonstrates the power of technology to unlock the creativity of youth as leaders of change (Canada).
Yuliya Morenets – Beyond the Token Seat: Rethinking Youth Inclusion in Global Forums. Yuliya is a Barrister at Law, digital governance expert, and founder of the Youth IGF. A recognised leader in global digital cooperation, she advises governments on cybersecurity and cybercrime. With over 15 years of international experience, she is also a media advocate and champion of digital inclusion in the Global South (France).
Audio in French
Audio in English
Nnenna Nwakanma – Working WITH, not FOR. ‘Nnenna from the internet’ is a voice for systemic policy changes for development through open, rights-based and human-centred technology. She is a champion for empowering internet and information access, freedom of expression, open data, open government, and the open web. She was proclaimed as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans of 2021 (Côte d’Ivoire).
Dorothy Okello – Is it Really More of the Same Since WOUGNET’s Inception in 2000? Dorothy is Dean, School of Engineering, and Associate Professor, Department of Computer and Communications Engineering at Makerere University. She is a leader with diverse experience in teaching, researching, and conducting projects and contributing to inclusive policies including serving on Boards in education, telecommunications/ICT, banking and innovation (Uganda).
Audio
Alejandro Pisanty – contribution to Nigel Hickson: a digital life well lived for others. Alejandro is a Professor, Head of Academic Computing Services, and Coordinator for Open and Distance Education at the National University of Mexico. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of ICANN and of the Board of Trustees of ISOC. In 2021 he was inducted to the Internet Hall of Fame (Mexico).
Vignette: Tribute to Nigel Hickson
Audio
Jamie Proctor – The Right People, Building Things They Understand, and Striving to Deliver Directly for Citizens. Jamie’s background cuts across research, education and technology. He has worked in tech start-ups, across UK Government Digital, and established a school construction NGO in Malawi. He wrote this contribution whilst seconded to EdTech Hub from FCDO, and maintains keen research interests in the development of climate resilient and sustainable school infrastructure (UK).
Audio
Nimmi Rangaswamy – Social, Shared and Sustainable: Whatever Happened to the Community Internet? Nimmi is a Professor at the Kohli Centre on Intelligent Systems, IIIT, Hyderabad. I teach on the society-technology interface, bringing an anthropological perspective to explore the impacts of AI. My research in Human-Computer Interaction foregrounds local practices of technology diffusion and how communities engage with digital systems — through sharing, learning, training, and adaptation (India).
Benita Rowe – The Tech Will Save Her’ – False Promises in Digital Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Solutions. Benita designs and advises on digital strategies with a focus on service delivery in humanitarian and conflict-affected settings. Over nearly two decades, working across sectors – from GBViE to education and health – she has developed integrated solutions and supported system resilience across more than 17 countries, collaborating with UN agencies, INGOs, local organizations, and foundations (Australia).
Fernanda Scur – Digital Tech and the Unbanked: The COVID Pandemic in Brazil. Fernanda is a multi-stakeholder partnership strategist, aimed at purposeful engagement and effective collaborative action that drives systemic/structural change for positive social and environmental impact. She holds a PhD in Systems Thinking for Active Collaboration and has experience in interaction design, project development, concept and process design, complex network analysis and user experience (Brazil).
Audio in Portuguese
Audio in English
Paul Spiesberger – Spinning Digital Cotton to Counter Digital Colonialism. Paul graduated as a computer scientist from TU Wien and is a passionate programmer. He is the operative head of ROTA at INSO, TU Wien and works with SAI, TU Graz. Since 2014, he has served as the chair of ICT4D.at, and he is a member of the ICT4D Collective (Austria).
Audio read by Georg Steinfelder
Revi Stirling – Retreads: Pushing New Rocks up New Hills. Revi started out elevating women’s voices through technology. This led to positions and programmes helping millions of women use technology to achieve their goals, as well as 20+ years of frustration with donors, governments, peer institutions and rural busses. I will never stop talking about social norms, opportunities, and inequities (USA).
Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi – It’s about what technology can do for society. Sharil trained and practised as a lawyer, became a policy maker, went into corporate finance and then moved on to become a telco regulator and a trade negotiator. Thereafter, got involved in corporate restructuring, automotive, infrastructure and aviation, whilst dabbling in a spot of angel investing, startup mentoring, media and movie making (Malaysia).
H. Juliette T. Unwin – Crafting a More Equitable Framework for Global Epidemiological Research Practice: Working With Not On. Juliette is a Lecturer in Statistical Science at the University of Bristol where her research focuses on developing methodologies related to infectious disease transmission to improve global public health. She is passionate about co-creating research with partners in areas where the global burden of disease is highest, whilst sharing her technical knowledge when appropriate (UK).
Ugo Vallauri – The Right to Repair. Ugo is co-founder/co-director of The Restart Project, a charity which promotes repair to change our throwaway economy. He’s a co-founder of Right to Repair Europe, a coalition advocating for ambitious right to repair legislation. Ugo is a fellow of the Ashoka Foundation, with 20 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector (Italy).
Tom Wambeke – Beyond the Cable: ‘The embrace of co-designed, plural futures’. Tom is a UN Senior Executive and Chief of Learning Innovation at ITCILO. With global experience in learning innovation, digital transformation, and foresight, he leads impactful programmes on inclusive capacity development. A speaker, strategist, and facilitator, he collaborates worldwide to foster sustainable, tech-enabled solutions for digital inclusion (Belgium and Italy).
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Page created 11 August 2025
Updated 5 October 2025
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